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Court affirms prison porn ban

A federal appellate court affirmed the Kansas prohibition on possession of pornographic material in prisons operated by the state Department of Corrections.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the corrections department's victory earned in a federal district court regarding a 2004 state regulation issued by then-Secretary of Corrections Roger Werholtz banning possession of sexually explicit material.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the federal courts ruled the limitation was constitutional.

“Prohibiting inmates from possessing sexually explicit material is a commonsense measure to maintain order within the corrections system,” Schmidt said. “This ruling upholds the authority of the Department of Corrections to maintain control within its facilities.”